able to reach the management. I have a notice from our security company that the fire department was dispatched, but I can't tell you much. We're two hours away, give or take. With the speed Adam's driving, maybe less."
"It's burning," Chance told Bradley. "Fire department's involved."
"God damn it!" Bradley hissed, shoving out of his chair to head for the door. "Jason! It's the Clairmont. They hit the hotel for the Expo."
Chance moved against the wall, aware of the insanity going on in the warehouse yet again. There went his chances of convincing Dez to sleep. She'd caught a nap in one of the rooms earlier, but only for a couple of hours. Right now, she was hyped up on caffeine and convinced that she was in a deathmatch with the enemy. The problem was that she might even be right.
"I think I just got the FBI involved," Chance told Kate.
"What's going on?" she asked. "Adam's worried it's KoG."
"Because it is," he admitted. "I can't tell you how I know, but there was a warning that they're going to burn the world. Our world? I'm not sure. The exact phrase was 'their world,' and I don't know what that means, but the Clairmont makes sense. Please tell me he's insured?"
"The hotels are fully insured," Kate promised. "The loss of revenue during rebuilding will suck, and I don't want to think about the lawsuits, but there's a layer of legal protection there."
"Good." He paused as footsteps came toward him.
Jason and Bradley hurried past him into the Think Tank and began to rummage through their things. Bradley grabbed a briefcase. Jason pulled a clip of bullets from his laptop bag. Then both men headed back out, but Jason stopped when he realized that Crysis was following him. Snagging the leash off the table, he clipped it to his dog's collar, then pushed the end toward Chance.
"Give him to Zara?" he begged. "He can't come."
"Will do," Chance promised, taking the leash.
"And keep everyone here," Jason said. "Half the team just left, so call them and tell them to get inside, stay inside, and if they can, be in groups."
"Soon as I get off with Degrass," Chance assured him.
A look of surprise crossed Jason's face and he grabbed the phone from Chance's hand. "Adam?" he asked.
"Kate," she corrected. "Cyn?"
"Yeah, we're headed to the Clairmont. I'll let you know what we find."
"We're on the way there too," she admitted. "He thinks it's KoG."
"Yeah," he agreed. "When you get there, find me. Do not talk to anyone else until you're with me. I don't know who is out there. I'd rather you go home and wait, in all honesty."
"Adam, Jason's worried. Says to meet with him when there or go home," she relayed.
"Yeah, tell him we'll see him there. He'll probably beat us. I'll text when we arrive."
"Good enough," Jason told her. "And Kate? This is real. Stay safe. No hotel is worth any of us."
"I know," she assured him.
Jason passed the phone back to Chance. "Take care of them for me?" And he tilted his head to the warehouse, showing which "them" he meant. "I have a bad feeling about this."
"We'll be here when you get back," Chance promised. "And I'll treat Zara just like Dez."
Jason chuckled. "Only if that means you won't touch her." Then he left.
Chance stood there for a moment, holding his phone before he remembered that Kate was still on the other end. "Kate?" he asked.
"I heard," she promised. "Go. I'll call you when I know anything."
"Expect it to be bad," Chance told her. "I'm hoping this is their last gasp. Their grand finale, and we will push through it. And tell Adam that I'm sorry he got dragged into this."
"Yeah, well, I can already tell you what he'll say to that. This is his baby. He's just as invested as you are. Go tell Dez to fuck these assholes up, ok?"
"That's exactly where I'm going," Chance assured her, turning toward the warehouse as he ended the call. "Guys? The Clairmont's the target. I want everything. No one leaves tonight. Zara? Crysis is yours."
Chapter 19
Rhaven sat at her desk, working on the basic outline of the interface she wanted. Braden had claimed the computer beside her. All of the associate developers had been sent home. So far, they'd never been targeted, but Chance made it clear that everyone would be working remotely for a few days. Now, he was sitting on the edge of Dez's desk, talking softly with her. Zara sat